Costs Advocacy & Costs Lawyer
Representation at detailed assessment hearings, costs case management and all costs hearings. Costs barristers and costs lawyers on fixed fees, anywhere in England and Wales.
Legal costs are a specialist area of law that most generalist practitioners avoid. The civil procedure rules that govern detailed assessment hearings, provisional assessments and costs case management are detailed, unforgiving, and subject to constant change. A poorly drafted bill of costs, or a weak set of points of dispute, can cost a firm thousands of pounds in recovered fees. That is why we provide dedicated costs advocacy and costs lawyer representation for solicitors, litigants in person and corporate clients who need legal costs experts they can rely on.
Clerk&Counsel is a clerking agency. We do not provide legal services ourselves. We match you with highly experienced costs barristers and costs lawyers from the independent Bar, usually within twenty four to seventy two hours, for a fixed fee agreed in writing before any hearing is attended. Our panel includes advocates who have spent years in costs litigation, who know the county courts and the Senior Courts Costs Office inside out, and who bring the level of attention to detail that a costs case demands.
The service includes everything from the initial review of the file, through the drafting of the bill or the points of dispute, to attendance at the costs hearing itself. Whether you are the receiving party seeking to maximise recovery, or the paying party challenging unreasonable items, we will place an advocate who understands your position and has the case management skills to run the hearing efficiently.
Our legal professionals handle standard and complex costs hearings across England and Wales. That means detailed assessment hearings in the county courts, High Court assessments in the SCCO, provisional assessments on paper, and client assessments where a solicitor's own client is querying the bill. We also cover costs case management conferences, where the court sets the timetable for the assessment and reviews the budgets.
Costs law sits at the intersection of procedure and negotiation. Many costs issues settle on the day of the hearing, and a good costs lawyer knows when to push and when to compromise. Our advocates are used to dealing with costs judges who expect concise submissions, accurate arithmetic, and a clear grasp of the civil procedure rules. They do not waste the court's time, and they do not waste yours.
If your matter is legally aided, we can place advocates who specialise in legal aid costs, including graduated fees, escape fees and LAA audit work. If you are a firm that needs regular costs support, we can arrange a relationship with a single advocate or a small team who get to know your file handling and your fee structure.
To instruct a costs advocate, send the bill of costs, the points of dispute, the last order and any correspondence with the other side. A clerk will come back with a quote, a confirmed hearing date, and the name of the advocate who will handle your costs case from start to finish.
For background on the detailed assessment process, read our article on what is a detailed assessment hearing. For general trial advocacy, see our barrister for trial page.
Send the bill, the points of dispute and the court order. A clerk will identify an available costs lawyer or costs barrister and confirm a fixed fee the same working day.
Request representation →Costs hearing enquiry
Tell us about the costs hearing and upload the bill of costs, points of dispute or court order. A clerk will identify a costs barrister or costs lawyer and confirm a fixed fee the same working day.
Frequently asked questions
What does your costs advocacy service include?
Our service includes drafting points of dispute and replies, preparing the bill of costs or the counter schedule, attending detailed assessment hearings, and arguing costs issues before the costs judge. We also handle client assessments, provisional assessments, and any case management hearing where a costs budget or Precedent H is in dispute. The same advocate who drafts the paperwork will normally attend the hearing, so the continuity is there from start to finish.
Can a costs lawyer provide advocacy services at a detailed assessment hearing?
Yes. Costs lawyers are regulated legal professionals with the right to conduct costs litigation and provide advocacy services in costs hearings. At Clerk & Counsel we place both specialist costs barristers and costs lawyers depending on the complexity of the costs case and the seniority required. Both can represent you at detailed assessment hearings, provisional assessments, and at case management conferences where costs budgets are argued.
Do you deal with legal aid costs?
We do. Our panel includes legal costs experts who are experienced in legal aid billing, graduated fee schemes, and the specific civil procedure rules that apply to publicly funded matters. If your costs case involves a legal aid certificate, we will match you with an advocate who understands the rates, the audit process, and the LAA requirements.
How much does a costs lawyer charge for a detailed assessment hearing?
A straightforward detailed assessment hearing in the county courts, where the points of dispute are limited and the bill is under twenty thousand pounds, is usually fixed between six hundred and one thousand two hundred pounds plus VAT. More complex bills, High Court work, or hearings with multiple costs issues and oral evidence generally fall between one thousand five hundred and three thousand pounds plus VAT. We always confirm the fee in writing before the hearing is listed.
Costs hearing in the diary?
Send the bill, the points of dispute and the court papers. A clerk will respond within one working day with an available costs advocate and a fixed brief fee.
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